Library Trustees' Meeting - 3/29/2012

The meeting was called to order at 6 pm. Present were Roger Daniels, Tom Wallace, Leina Smoker, and Susan Turbyne.

REPORTS
1. Review Draft Minutes of January 4, 2012 Meeting – It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to accept the minutes of the January 4th, 2012, as read. The motion was passed.

2. Treasurer’s Report
a. Account Balances – Balance on hand as of 3/27/2012 - $89,592.10
$ 524.75 moved from Checking to Endowment (OHD Book sale)
b. 2012 Spending “to date” $7,388.67 as of 3/27/2012
Boiler – Oil expense *$3.25 a gal for oil at this time
c. Town Financial audit – Year 2011 – No problems were reported.

3. Library Director’s Report – We were busy in January and February. During those two months we were open 108 hours and had 922 patron visits and checked out 1097 books and 462 dvds/videos.
Rachel conducted eight Saturday story times with 24 children participating at various times. The spring story time session will begin May 5th and run for 5 weeks. Our summer reading program with the theme Dream Big Read will start June 20th and run until Old Home Day. We have contacted Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and they will bring a program August 2nd at 7pm featuring several nocturnal animals.
Most of our time is spent preparing books for circulation, shelving books that have been returned, and assisting patrons. We constantly try to make everything look more attractive – you will notice new signage and displays in both the children’s room and the young adult room.
Sheila leaves for vacation this Saturday and will be out for two weeks. Rachel will be taking the school vacation week from April 21st to 28th. National Library Week is the 2nd week in April and we’ve invited the residents of Rumney to stop in.


OLD BUSINESS
4. Status - Town Master Plan Narrative – After reading the report, the trustees felt that the last sentence should be removed and it was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker). The motion was passed. Tom Wallace will send a letter to the selectmen requesting that the last sentence of the report be removed.
• A Public Hearing on the Master Plan is scheduled for April 5, 2012

5. Status – 2012 Town Meeting Library Warrant Articles
• 2012 Budget
Endowment Fund Projects - $3000 was approved and will be used to repoint the chimney, do some painting, and possibly purchase some kindles/ebook readers.
• Library Capital Reserve - $5,000 was added to the fund bringing the total to just over $20,000.
• LCHiP Mitigation Grant Application authorization – We have permission to apply for the grant and we want to get our application in by the end of May.

NEW BUSINESS
6. NH Library Trustees Assoc. Annual Meeting – May 21 in Bedford – No one is able to go.

7. Library Trustee position elections for 2012
• Chair – Roger Daniels
• Secretary – Leina Smoker
• Treasurer – Tom Wallace

8. Policy – Employee Vacations – This policy was discussed and a motion was made (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to approve the following:
Employee Vacation Time
After one (1) full year of continuous employment after the first day the employee worked at the Library, each employee shall be entitled to one (1) week of paid vacation.
After a second full year of continuous employment, each employee shall be entitled to two (2) weeks of paid vacation.
For each year after the second year of continuous employment, each employee shall be entitled to two (2) weeks of paid vacation.
A week shall be defined as the average number of hours the employee worked in the previous year of employment.
Earned vacation time shall be used within one year after the vacation time was earned according to a schedule mutually agreed upon by the employee and the Library Director. In the event that earned vacation time is not used within a year after it is earned, or if the employment of the employee ends before earned vacation time is used, the employee shall be paid on an hourly basis for all unused, earned vacation time using their average hourly wage for the year following the period in which the vacation time was earned.
The motion was passed.

# 9 Library Accessibility Project
• LCHiP has provided “final “Historic Building Assessment Grant Application” to be used to apply for Groton Wind Project Mitigation money. Application requires identification of “consultant” to be used and amount of grant request. LCHiP Board next meets on June 18, 2012 and can vote on Library application on that date if Grant Application is received around the end of May.
• Request for Qualifications packages sent to 11 Architects. Responses received from 8 Architecture firms
o Process for selecting “finalists” and selected Architect to serve as consultant for Library Accessibility Feasibility Study discussed and the following schedule agreed to:
 Mar. 29 – Apr. 18, 2012: Review Qualifications, check references and prepare final Request for Proposals.
 Apr. 18: Select from 3 to 5 “finalists” to be interviewed and to submit Proposal including fee proposal.
 May 9 & 10: Interview Finalists and receive Sealed Proposals
 May 10 – May 24: Discuss and Rank finalists, then open Sealed Proposals. Review ranking, clarify any questions and take Final Selection vote.
 May 24 – May 31: Prepare “Historic Building Assessment Grant Application” and for submit to LCHiP.
 June 18: LCHiP Board meets to vote on Grant Application.
• Two potential “Conflict of Interest” issues were discussed
o Trustee Wallace indicated a concern regarding the fact that one of the Architects that submitted Qualifications was his former firm, Tennant/Wallace Architects. He felt he should remove himself from voting both during selection of “finalists” and final choice of “consultant” for the Feasibility Study. After discussion it was agreed that Wallace would not participate in voting, but would participate in the selection process to provide input to help guide the Library through the process.
o Trustee Smoker advised that she was friends with Tim Smith who also submitted Qualifications, but that this would not affect her evaluation of his qualifications.
• After discussion, it was agreed that the Library invite a representative from the Selectmen to participate in the Consultant selection process. Wallace to contact Selectmen’s office to arrange.
• The following other expenses that might be included in the Grant Application were identified:
o Land survey – Topo & Boundaries
o Status/ Condition – Septic & Water Supply
o Hazardous Materials Survey
o Energy Audit
Wallace will work to get cost proposals for each of these to allow the Trustees to decide which, if any, to include in final Grant Application.


• LCHiP has provided “final “Historic Building Assessment Grant Application” to be used to apply for Groton Wind Project Mitigation money. Application requires identification of “consultant” to be used and amount of grant request. LCHiP Board next meets on June 18, 2012 and can vote on Library application on that date if Grant Application is received around the end of May.
• Request for Qualifications packages sent to 11 Architects. Responses received from 8 Architecture firms
o Process for selecting “finalists” and selected Architect to serve as consultant for Library Accessibility Feasibility Study discussed and the following schedule agreed to:
 Mar. 29 – Apr. 18, 2012: Review Qualifications, check references and prepare final Request for Proposals.
 Apr. 18: Select from 3 to 5 “finalists” to be interviewed and to submit Proposal including fee proposal.
 May 9 & 10: Interview Finalists and receive Sealed Proposals
 May 10 – May 24: Discuss and Rank finalists, then open Sealed Proposals. Review ranking, clarify any questions and take Final Selection vote.
 May 24 – May 31: Prepare “Historic Building Assessment Grant Application” and for submit to LCHiP.
 June 18: LCHiP Board meets to vote on Grant Application.
• Two potential “Conflict of Interest” issues were discussed
o Trustee Wallace indicated a concern regarding the fact that one of the Architects that submitted Qualifications was his former firm, Tennant/Wallace Architects. He felt he should remove himself from voting both during selection of “finalists” and final choice of “consultant” for the Feasibility Study. After discussion it was agreed that Wallace would not participate in voting, but would participate in the selection process to provide input to help guide the Library through the process.
o Trustee Smoker advised that she was friends with Tim Smith who also submitted Qualifications, but that this would not affect her evaluation of his qualifications.
• After discussion, it was agreed that the Library invite a representative from the Selectmen to participate in the Consultant selection process. Wallace to contact Selectmen’s office to arrange.
• The following other expenses that might be included in the Grant Application were identified:
o Land survey – Topo & Boundaries
o Status/ Condition – Septic & Water Supply
o Hazardous Materials Survey
o Energy Audit
Wallace will work to get cost proposals for each of these to allow the Trustees to decide which, if any, to include in final Grant Application.
It was agreed to meet next on Wednesday, April 18th 2012.

Library Trustees' Meeting - 1/4/2012

The meeting was called to order at 6 pm. Present were Roger Daniels, Tom Wallace, Leina Smoker and Susan Turbyne.

REPORTS
1. Review Draft Minutes of Dec. 14, 2011 Meeting – It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to accept the minutes of the December 14th, 2011, meeting as read. The motion was passed.
2. Treasurer’s Report
a. Account Balances - $88,908.03
b. 2011 YE Report – Our expenses for 2011 were $36,747.29.
c. Review current employee wages and benefits – It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) that we table our discussion of this issue until a further date. The motion was passed.
3. Library Director’s Report – The weeks leading up to Christmas were busy ones at the library as we had several seasonal activities planned. At the beginning of the month we invited the children to come in and make a craft. The next week, Sheila made sugar cookies and we invited our patrons, young and old, to decorate a cookie. The final week, in addition to entertaining the knitting ladies, we brought in holiday goodies for our patrons to enjoy. We received many positive comments on our special activities and decorations.
Between Christmas and New Year’s Paul Bellamy, Red Mountain Construction LLC, removed the peeling paint on the ceiling, filled the holes left by the electrical work we had done, and repainted. I am very pleased with the work that was done and will request that we hire him to finish the job behind the desk and in the computer room as well as the office.
Today started a new year here at the library as well as a ‘beginning of the year’ to- do list. Each January we update patron registrations in order to keep our list of patrons current. In the weeks ahead we will review registrations from 2009. We will update the people who use our library and drop patrons who no longer use our services. I have reviewed our usage statistics for 2011 and am pleased to report that we recorded 4,648 patron visits, an increase of 481 visits over 2010. Each January I submit an annual report which is printed in the town report. I have started work on this report which is due January 9th.
All of the minutes of this year’s trustees meeting have been submitted to the town clerk twice – they are submitted ‘unapproved’ following a meeting and again, after being ‘ approved’. The approved minutes have also been posted on our trustees’ blog.
2011 has been a good year. We look forward to 2012 and what it brings our way.

OLD BUSINESS
4. Status - Town Master Plan Narrative – We plan to continue this discussion at our next meeting.
5. Status – Painting Main Level ceilings – It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) that we contact Paul Bellamy to complete the ceiling work behind the circulation desk and in the computer room and office. The motion was passed.
6. Status - Boiler maintenance – Roger will continue to contact Carl Doe to do the efficiency test on the furnace.
7. Status – 2012 Library Budget request – Tom has not heard anything more from the town.
8. Status - Groton Wind Project “mitigation” money
a. Warrant Article – 2012 Town Meeting – Tom drafted an article for this year’s warrant requesting funds for a study for a handicap accessible project. After discussion, it was agreed to remove the $25,000 cost since we do not know the cost at this time. Tom will talk with the people at LCHIP and the town office before submitting the following:

To see if the town will authorize the Trustees of the Byron G. Merrill Library to apply for and expend funds for a Feasibility Study to investigate alternatives to make the existing Town Library accessible to the disabled. Funding shall come from the “Mitigation Funds” available to the Town as a result of the permit granted for the Groton Wind Project as administered by the State of New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Program (LCHIP) office.

b. LCHIP “grant” process – Amy Dickson, Historic Resource Specialist from LCHIP, will visit our library later this month. Tom will arrange the day and time.
c. Plan of Action prior to March Town Meeting – We will continue to work with LCHIP to identify grant application requirements and we will begin the process of soliciting qualifications of architects for the study.

NEW BUSINESS
9. Acceptance 2011 Donations to Library – It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to accept a donation in the amount of $25.00 for calendar year 2011. The motion was passed.
10. Other Business - none

No date was set for the next meeting.